Guthroth | 16 Aug 2014 10:56 a.m. PST |
A recent discussion about the use of the bomb against Japan left me wondering. Given that we recruited Italians in 43, the Russians used Romanians and Hungarians in 44, and we recruited Japanese in 45, is anyone aware of any plans to recruit Germans to participate in the invasion of Japan in 46? TIA |
Weasel | 16 Aug 2014 11:16 a.m. PST |
I've never come across anything like that, though no doubt someone somewhere had the thought back in the day. I don't think there'd have been much enthusiasm for that in Germany. By the time tanks were rolling through Berlin, "War prolonger" was an insult hurled at the SS types trying to scare up civilians to fight. Italy likely had plenty of anti-fascist types eager to regain their country (not to mention 2 years earlier) |
Glengarry5 | 16 Aug 2014 12:04 p.m. PST |
How long was Germany defeated before the French were recruiting German veterans for the Foreign Legion? |
Glengarry5 | 16 Aug 2014 12:05 p.m. PST |
How long was Germany defeated before the French were recruiting German veterans for the French Foreign Legion? |
Martin Rapier | 16 Aug 2014 12:10 p.m. PST |
The Rumanian, Hungarian and Italian governments changed sides, the Allies didn't 'recruit' them. Germany fought until the bitter end and as millions of them were kept as POWs well after the end of the war, it is highly unlikely anyone considered recruiting them to fight the Japanese in 1946. Britain didn't release its German prisoners until the late 1940s and the Russians didn't release them until the mid 1950s. |
Rod I Robertson | 16 Aug 2014 12:38 p.m. PST |
Guthroth: Planning at some level happened to recruit and arm Germans to fight against the Soviets ("Operation Unthinkable" and letters in the Montgomery papers) but I have no knowledge of recruitment for any operations in Asia. Cheers. Rod Robertson |
Weasel | 16 Aug 2014 2:32 p.m. PST |
I've always wondered about that: How much fight would the German people actually have been up to, at that point? For that matter, how much trust would there have been between Tommies and Jerries who'd been shooting at each other months before? |
skippy0001 | 16 Aug 2014 4:25 p.m. PST |
This began as a rumor because some DAK POWs wanted to volunteer to fight the Japanese. No way it would happen after the Death Camps were opened up. |
General Jumbo | 16 Aug 2014 4:29 p.m. PST |
There are plenty of references kicking around to support the stories of SS recruited into the French Foreign legion in Vietnam as early as 1945. Likewise there are stories of Japanese who stayed to fight alongside the Viet Minh, against the FFL. So, coming at this from a slight angle, but the header does read "Germans v Japan". |
Weasel | 16 Aug 2014 4:49 p.m. PST |
If we're being literal, I am sure we can find some places where a German guy in the foreign legion fought a Japanese guy with the Viet Minh :) |
Bobgnar | 16 Aug 2014 7:20 p.m. PST |
Given the above comments about war weary Germans, how much success would Patton have recruiting them to carry the on his plan to free the easter european countries, prior to his assassination. |
Flecktarn | 17 Aug 2014 1:57 p.m. PST |
Guthroth, Given the state of the German army in 1945 and the war-weariness of the defeated men, I think that it is very unlikely that German soldiers could have been recruited to fight Japan. Add to that the "issues" that Western allied units might have had serving with Germans and the idea is a non-starter. Jurgen |
Guthroth | 18 Aug 2014 5:42 a.m. PST |
Thanks for all the replies. It was just an idle thought that was generated by an acquaintance who was ranting about how evil the use of the bomb was. My subsequent re-reading about the planned Olympic/Coronet operations, and the widespread use of former Axis troops elsewhere just sparked the question in my head. Cheers ! |
Flecktarn | 18 Aug 2014 6:35 a.m. PST |
I think that one cannot make a valid comparison between the Italian and Romanian armies fighting alongside the Allies and the possibility of the Germans fighting the Japanese. Most of the Italians in the Esercito Cobelligerante Italiano were anti-Fascists who were keen to fight to liberate the rest of their country from German occupation and settle scores with Mussolini's men, Meanwhile, the situation of the Romanians was very complex; even after King Michael ordered his forces to stop fighting the Soviets, around 130,000 were taken prisoner and sent to the USSR. Many of those who fought against the Germans and Hungarians did so either because they had little choice, or because they were Communists, or because of the deep hatred of the Hungarians and a desire to recover "lost" territory. It is hard to think what would have inspired German soldiers to fight against Japan. Jurgen |